This is the peak of George Benson's courtship of the mass market -- a superbly crafted and performed pop album with a large supporting cast -- and wouldn't you know that Quincy Jones, the master catalyst, is the producer.
Q's regular team, including the prolific songwriter Rod Temperton and the brilliant engineer Bruce Swedien, is in control, and Benson's voice, caught beautifully in the rich, floating sound, had never before been put to such versatile use.
On "Moody's Mood," Benson really exercises his vocalese chops and proves that he is technically as fluid as just about any jazz vocalist, and he become a credible rival to Al Jarreau on the joyous title track.
Benson's guitar now plays a subsidiary role -- only two of the ten tracks are instrumentals -- but Q has him play terrific fills behind the vocals and in the gaps, and the engineering gives his tone a variety of striking, new, full-sounding timbres.
The instrumentals themselves are marvelous: "Off Broadway" is driving and danceable, and Ivan Lins' "Dinorah, Dinorah" grows increasingly seductive with each play.
Benson should have worked with Jones from this point on, but this would be their only album together.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Love X LoveRod Temperton | George Benson | Play | 04:46 | 10 MB | 26 MB |
| 2 | Off BroadwayRod Temperton | George Benson | Play | 05:26 | 12 MB | 32 MB |
| 3 | Moody's MoodDorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh, James Moody | George Benson | Play | 03:27 | 7 MB | 14 MB |
| 4 | Give Me the NightRod Temperton | George Benson | Play | 05:02 | 11 MB | 25 MB |
| 5 | What's on Your MindGlen Ballard, Kerry Chater | George Benson | Play | 04:04 | 9 MB | 19 MB |
| 6 | Dinorah, DinorahIvan Lins, Vitor Martins | George Benson | Play | 03:41 | 8 MB | 19 MB |
| 7 | Love DanceIvan Lins, Gilson Peranzzetta, Paul Williams | George Benson | Play | 03:18 | 7 MB | 14 MB |
| 8 | Star of a Story (X)Rod Temperton | George Benson | Play | 04:43 | 10 MB | 23 MB |
| 9 | Midnight Love AffairDavid Walinski, David "Hawk" Wolinski | George Benson | Play | 03:34 | 8 MB | 17 MB |
| 10 | Turn Out the LamplightRod Temperton | George Benson | Play | 04:44 | 10 MB | 20 MB |
| 42 mins | 98 MB | |||||
| 42 mins | 213 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jocelyn Allen | Vocals |
| 2 | Patti Austin | Guest Artist, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 3 | Tom Bahler | Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 4 | Glen Ballard | Composer |
| 5 | George Benson | Guitar, Primary Artist, Scat, Vocals |
| 6 | Michael Boddicker | Synthesizer |
| 7 | The Brothers Johnson | Guest Artist |
| 8 | Jocelyn Brown | Vocals (Background) |
| 9 | Kerry Chater | Composer |
| 10 | Paulinho Da Costa | Guest Artist, Percussion, Wind |
| 11 | George Duke | Keyboards |
| 12 | Dorothy Fields | Composer |
| 13 | Clare Fischer | Fender Rhodes, Keyboards, Piano |
| 14 | David Foster | Keyboards, Synthesizer |
| 15 | Jim Gilstrap | Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 16 | Diva Gray | Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 17 | Herbie Hancock | Fender Rhodes, Keyboards, Piano (Electric), Synthesizer |
| 18 | Jerry Hey | Trumpet |
| 19 | Kim Hutchcroft | Flute, Saxophone, Wind |
| 20 | Louis Johnson | Bass |
| 21 | Quincy Jones | Arranger, Liner Notes, Producer |
| 22 | Abraham Laboriel, Sr. | Bass |
| 23 | Ivan Lins | Composer |
| 24 | Vitor Martins | Composer |
| 25 | Jimmy McHugh | Composer |
| 26 | James Moody | Composer |
| 27 | David Paich | Synthesizer |
| 28 | Gilson Peranzzetta | Composer |
| 29 | Greg Phillinganes | Fender Rhodes, Keyboards, Piano, Piano (Electric), Synthesizer |
| 30 | Lee Ritenour | Guest Artist, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric) |
| 31 | John "J.R." Robinson | Drums |
| 32 | Sid Sharp | Concert Master |
| 33 | Bruce Swedien | Engineer |
| 34 | Richard Tee | Keyboards, Synthesizer |
| 35 | Rod Temperton | Composer |
| 36 | Carlos Vega | Drums |
| 37 | David Walinski | Composer |
| 38 | Larry Williams | Flute, Saxophone, Wind |
| 39 | Paul Williams | Composer |
| 40 | David "Hawk" Wolinski | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |